Repotting Your Houseplants

A Cure For The Winter Blues

From Your Home & Garden Showplace

If you're eager to get your hands back into the soil, now's a great time to get your fingernails dirty! Mid-winter is perfect for repotting your indoor plants. After all, many houseplants need to be transplanted into larger containers every two to three years anyway, and you have the time, right?

Here are a few signs that tell you that it's time to move your plants into new digs:

• Roots begin to creep out from the bottom of the pot around drainage holes or they peek through the top soil.
• Whitish or off-coloured deposits appear on the soil's surface. These are a sign of "tired" or nutrient stripped soil that's begging to be changed. They may also indicate that you are fertilizing the soil too much.
• If your plant appears especially listless, if it's not producing buds or new leaves (and your routine care of water and sunlight hasn't changed), this could be a sign that it's time to expand your plant's living conditions.

When repotting, make sure you buy potting soil that is appropriate for the specific plant type and place the plant into a container that is one size bigger than it's current size. If you use a clay pot, soak it in water for 45 minutes to keep the clay from absorbing the soil's moisture.